Political Football: how the game gave hope during the worst of Northern Ireland’s Troubles

In the post-war years, Northern Ireland was crosscut with strident political, religious and ideological divisions. In such an atmosphere the very existence of Belfast Celtic, the city’s only Catholic professional football club, was threatened and ultimately extinguished. Its success, trials and demise serve as a reminder of times when the sectarian divide flared into violence. This is the story of events at the time, using football as a prism, and how the nation secured a brighter future on and off the pitch.